The Care and Keeping of Extraordinary Kittens
by Jemi Gr
Summary: [CATS fic] Tugger struggles to raise a young Quaxo, unaware of his powers. Meanwhile, Coricopat and Tantomile join the Jellicle Tribe, knowing that there is an undeveloped magician somewhere in its midst... Incomplete.
1. Newcomers

****

The Care and Keeping of Extraordinary Kittens

Jemi Gr.

__

A Note from the Rum Tum Tugger.

My dear, beloved fans who have most assuredly bought my book:

Here is, with love from me, the secret to the Care and Keeping of Extraordinary Kittens. Yes, I know you are all thinking the same thing: 'What makes a kitten extraordinary?' Either that, or you are thinking about my gorgeous behind or amazing good looks. ;) Well, first of all, let me say that every kitten is extraordinary, in his or her own way. They all have their special gifts and abilities. I once knew a kitten, for instance, who could scream for hours on end without having to take a single breath! Another kitten I once knew was a little Gumby Cat (no pun intended), so flexible and able to bend herself into almost any shape. I also once knew a kit that had the most beautiful voice. I knew another kit with fascinating markings. And I once knew a kit that had magical powers.

Though all of these extraordinary kittens are featured in this tale, its main focus is on one of them, and one of them only. See if you can figure out which one it is by the end. By the way, this is a true story… inspired by me and typed by my dear friend Jemima Gr, seeing as though it would be hard for me to type with no fingers (but if I had fingers, they would be gorgeous!) But now, without any further ado, I give you… The Care and Keeping of Extraordinary Kittens.

Much love, 

_Tugger _

****

Chapter One: Newcomers

"Bomba!" squealed the voice of a young tom kitten right in the napping red queen's ear. Bombalurina shot awake. A little ball of black fur with tiny white feet scurried away under the table, startled by her sudden movement. At the entrance of the parlor stood the Rum Tum Tugger, grinning affectionately.

"Oh, no Tugger, I can't kitten-sit today," said Bombalurina, seeing the hopeful look on her friend's face. "Get Jennyanydots to do it. I've seen enough of this monkey to last me until I go to the Heavyside."

"Oh, come on Bomb, just for a couple hours," pleaded the Rum Tum Tugger, walking up to the stubborn red queen. "Old Deut wants me an' some others to go meet these two cats who want to join the Jellicles."

"Bring him along!" cried Bombalurina just as the black fuzz ball shot out from under the table and began climbing the curtain on the other side of the room. "Do you remember what he did to my house the last time I watched him? I wasn't allowed out of the basement for a week!"

"But your humans won't be back for another days or so," pleaded Tugger, "so you'll have time to clean up any mess he makes. And I promise I'll help. I promise. _Please?_"

"No!" cried Bombalurina, exasperated. 

"Aw, come on, he's only a kitten, how bad could he get?"

"Obviously you haven't been around him enough to find out, always dumping the poor guy on me or Jenny or Jellylorum!" cried Bombalurina. "Take him with you!"

"Oh, and I'm sure Old Deuteronomy would like that," said the Rum Tum Tugger. "You know how Quaxo gets when every single cat in the room isn't paying attention to him…"

The crash of the curtain rod hitting the wooden floor interrupted his statement.

"He gets like that," said Tugger, trying very hard to hide his grin but failing miserably.

Bombalurina was not amused.

"Get Jennyanydots to watch him, because I'm not doing it," said Bombalurina stubbornly.

"Jennyanydots is going to be with Old Deuteronomy too."

"Jellylorum, then."

"I went to her first, but she's already watching Tumblebrutus, Pouncival, Electra, Etcetera, and Jemima," said Tugger. "When I showed up with this little monkey in my arms, she practically cried. I couldn't do that to her!"

"Skimpleshanks," said Bombalurina.

"In Carlisle."

"Bustopher Jones?"

"On vacation with his family."

"Munkustrap?"

"He's going to be at the meeting, of course!"

"Demeter?"

"Going to be with Munkustrap."

"Cassandra?"

"Not old enough."

"Gus?"

"Too old."

"Alonzo?"

"Gee, Bomba, if you hate him so much I'll take the little guy with me!" cried the Rum Tum Tugger. "He's only a kit! I never knew you were so heartless, Bomb… Come on, Quaxo! Auntie Bomba's being a meanie…"

"Bomba meanie," repeated the black and white fur ball as he crawled out from under the chair where he had dashed before the curtains fell on him.

"Yeah, that's right," said Tugger, picking up the kitten and stroking him affectionately. "Auntie Bomba doesn't want to take Quaxo. Auntie Bomba _big _meanie."

"Auntie Bomba not like me?" asked Quaxo, his big questioning eyes staring up at his foster father.

"That's right," said Tugger. "Auntie Bomba not like you. Auntie Bomba _hate _you."

"Oh, come on, Tugger, that's not true and you know it!" cried Auntie Bomba – I mean, Bombalurina.

"Well, that's certainly how you act," said the Rum Tum Tugger. "Isn't that right, Quaxo?" The kitten nodded enthusiastically. "He's just a baby, Bombalurina." ("Am not!" yelled Quaxo.) Don't you think you act rather cruel to him? ("Uh huh, cruel," repeated Quaxo.) "I only want you to watch him for a couple of hours." ("Not long.")

"Oh, you!" cried Bombalurina. "You always know just how to get what you want, don't you?"

"It's a gift," smiled Tugger.

Bombalurina sighed. "Oh, alright. I watch him this time, but only if you promise to never call me 'Auntie Bomba' again."

"Deal," said Tugger with a smile. He gently put the kitten in his arms down on the wooden floor. He immediately scampered off under the couch.

"Bye, Bomb," called Tugger with a wave of his tail.

"Bye, sweetie!" called Bombalurina. "_No Quaxo! Stop that! OUCH!"_

Watching the Rum Tum Tugger walk away from the house, the only bitter thought Bombalurina could come up with was _'You know, if he didn't have such a great butt I might actually be mad at him…'_

*~*

"Quaxo, NO!" shouted Bombalurina angrily. Curse that Rum Tum Tugger and his ability to guilt anyone into doing anything! "Quaxo, get out of there before you break something! Find something else to play with, Quaxo… I DIDN'T MEAN MY FOOT!"

Cursing under her breath, the red queen hopped down the hall the closet in hopes of finding something she could use to bandage her now bloody paw. Being unsuccessful, she hobbled back into the parlor to discover her worst nightmare.

"Quaxo, NO! The couch is not a litter box!" shouted Bombalurina.

"Litter boxes are for wussies," shot back Quaxo indignantly. "That's what Tugger says."

"Well, you'll have to learn that sometimes it's okay not to listen to Tugger!" exclaimed Bombalurina, but it was too late. Quaxo had already continued with his… er… _business _on the human's new sofa.

*~*

Meanwhile, back at the Junkyard, the Rum Tum Tugger was not having nearly as much, er, fun, as Bombalurina.

"Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Coricopat and his mate, Tantomile," said Old Deuteronomy. "This is my son, Munkustrap, second in command of the Jellicle Tribe, Tribe Protector and Caretaker of the Kittens; his mate Demeter; my nephew, the Rum Tum Tugger, resident 'curious cat'; Alonzo, Munkustrap's assistant; and Jennyanydots, our very own Gumbie Cat, here representing her mate Skimpleshanks."

"He's third in command of the Jellicle Tribe," said Jennyanydots proudly. "He couldn't be here; he's off in Carlisle on business."

"So, Coricopat and Tantomile," began Old Deuteronomy, "you are interested in becoming Jellicle cats?"

"We are already Jellicle cats," said Coricopat in a quiet, solemn voice. "We are interested in making it official."

"Spoken like a true Jellicle," smiled Old Deuteronomy. The two did not return the smile. A little flustered, Old Deuteronomy continued. "So, what leads you to believe you would be at home in the Jellicle tribe?"

"We have watched you for awhile now," said Tantomile in a voice that seemed to be a female version of her mate's. "We like the way you act towards each other."

"We respect the fact that you respect everyone," said Coricopat.

"We love the way you show love," said Tantomile.

"We hope you will one day learn to respect us," began Coricopat.

"and love us too," finished Tantomile.

The Rum Tum Tugger stared at the two. They were perfectly in synch; it was as if they had planned the speech. He also noticed that the two had almost identical markings. Add in the factor that their voices were practically the same, and you had a very interesting equation indeed. Mates? Brother and sister, most likely. Twins, probably. But yet, Old Deuteronomy had said they were mates…

"Are you two mates?" blurted out Tugger, fully aware that he was interrupting Old Deuteronomy in the middle of a sentence, but he was unable to contain his curiosity any longer. 

"You are curious," said Coricopat.

"Yes, we are mates," said Tantomile.

"But you look and sound so similar…" said Tugger, astonished.

"We know," said Coricopat.

"We believe ourselves to be one soul split in half," said Tantomile.

"Neither half complete…" 

"…without the other."

Tugger merely smiled and nodded. Inwardly, he made a mental note to keep Quaxo away from the two soulmates, or whatever they were. He didn't need Quaxo believing in that mumbo-jumbo. Quaxo was hard enough to take care of as it was… Tugger shuddered to think of the little tuxedo kitten running right out of the front door shouting "Off find my soulmate, Tugger! Bye-bye!"

A tap on the shoulder brought the curious cat back to the present. "You best pay be paying attention!" whispered Jennyanydots' sharp voice in his ear. "The future of the Jellicle Tribe is in our paws, you don't want to miss a detail!"

However, all the details that were being spoken of were boring ones. Coricopat and Tantomile were asking Old Deuteronomy questions about the members of the Jellicle Tribe. They remarked how much they loved kittens, but were sadly unable to have any of their own… a tribe with lots of kittens to look after would be wonderful…

After what seemed like hours of droning conversation, during which the Rum Tum Tugger tried very hard not to fall asleep, Coricopat said something that caught his attention.

"It is my understanding you have a magical cat in your tribe?" asked the tom.

Old Deuteronomy shook his head. "No, no magical cats. But we do have…"

"Are you sure there's no magical cat?" asked Tantomile.

"Positive," said Old Deuteronomy. "Now, if we could turn our attention to…"

"The little black one," said Tantomile suddenly, as if she was answering a question someone had just asked. "The little black one is the magician. You have a little black cat, right?"

"No, we don't have an all black cat," said Old Deuteronomy, obviously quite exasperated.

"No, not an all black cat," said Coricopat. "Black, with white markings… on his face… on his chest… on his feet… "

The Rum Tum Tugger gasped. That sounded exactly like Quaxo! But no… it couldn't be… there were no such things as magical cats anyhow…

"No, I'm afraid we don't have a kitten like that," said Old Deuteronomy. There was a pause of silence, during which it seemed to Tugger like there was a conversation happening between the two newcomers… only they weren't speaking…

I know the kitten's here.

Of course he is, they're obviously lying.

Why would they lie about it?

Maybe they're ashamed of him.

Or maybe they just don't know about his powers yet…

Are you sure the kitten's here? Positive?

I'm positive, Tantomile… I can sense a magical cat's aura from a thousand miles away. He's here.

His aura is very faint, Cori. Perhaps he's only a little bit magical. Magical mother, normal father, or something of the sort.

No, he's definitely got a full magical aura. His parents were both magical, too, mark my words. His magic is just undeveloped, that's all. He hasn't used it yet. The question is, why his parents haven't started his magical training yet…

The Rum Tum Tugger suddenly doubled over. "Oh my word!" cried Jennyanydots. Tugger felt several pairs of strong paws on him, lifting him gently back up a sitting position. "What happened?" said Jennyanydots frantically. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…" said the Rum Tum Tugger weakly. "Just a headache…"

"Do you want to go lie down?" asked Jennyanydots.

"No… I'm fine… really…" said Rum Tum Tugger. He had more important things to think about than his sudden and unexplainable headache. Had he really just heard what he thought he had just heard? The voices he had heard were clearly the voices of Coricopat and Tantomile. They weren't speaking, exactly, he just seemed to suddenly know what was being said. The weird thing was, their lips weren't moving at all…

Eyes growing wide, the Rum Tum Tugger realized what was going on. Coricopat and Tantomile… they were physic. He heard them communicating… but how? He must have tapped in to some secret physic channel… but again, how? And the cat the two described as the magician with underdeveloped powers was certainly his Quaxo… there was no other cat in the Jellicle tribe with a pattern even similar to his. It could be possible… Quaxo's true parents had abandoned him or died or something, leaving the poor tuxedo cat alone in the woods, starving. It was lucky that Tugger found him when he did. It could be possible… Quaxo could be the one…

__

No, thought Tugger desperately. _My Quaxo is not a magician… there are no such things as magical cats… and that is final!_

Tugger lifted himself out of his thoughts just in time to hear Old Deuteronomy say warmly, "Well, Coricopat and Tantomile, welcome to the Jellicle Tribe."

Munkustrap, Demeter, Jennyanydots, Alonzo, and Deuteronomy clapped appropriately for the two cats. Tugger forced a clap or two but was too stunned to think of anything except Quaxo… and Coricopat and Tantomile…

__

There are no such things as magical cats, Tugger told himself once again as he got up to leave. He would have gone back to Bombalurina's house in perfect peace had it not been for the look that Tantomile shot him just then. It was a look that quite plainly said 'I know you know, and I know what you heard,' and the Rum Tum Tugger did not like the chills it sent down his spine one bit.

*~*

Author's Notes: Ah, the things writer's block does to you, huh? I swore I wouldn't post another story until 'To the Moonlight' was finished… but I hit an unexpected writer's block about two sentences into Chapter Seven and decided to write this instead. Unfortunately, this will mean that either this fic or 'To the Moonlight' will be pushed aside for awhile… I find it hard to write more than one fic at a time. Anyway, probably expect a chapter or two more of this one before chapter seven of Moonlight, because this is so much fun to write…! Ugh, I'm rambling now. Bye.

--jemi gr 9-july-03


	2. Secrets

****

Chapter Two: Secrets 

"I'm back," called the Rum Tum Tugger from the entrance hall.

"Oh, thank the Everlasting Cat!" cried Bombalurina. "I don't ever want to see those tiny white paws again! Now go, get out of my house, the both of you, before I hurt you!"

The Rum Tum Tugger did not smile. Instead, he reached down and grabbed the kitten from his hiding spot under the coffee table. Then he solemnly started to head out of the door.

"Hey, not so fast!" said Bombalurina. "What's the matter, Tugger?"

"It's nothing, said the Tugger, but his voice conveyed otherwise.

"Oh, come on, you know you can trust me," said Bombalurina.

"Actually, of all the cats in the Junkyard, you're the one I can trust the least," said the Rum Tum Tugger affectionately.

Bombalurina smiled. "So, if nothing, you can trust me to be untrustworthy. Now tell me!"

Tugger sighed, knowing he was fighting a losing battle and it was best to surrender now. He lowered his voice. "Bomba, do you think, that, maybe, I dunno, Quaxo might be a… well, uh… maybe a… magical cat?"

Bombalurina snorted. "There are no such things as magical cats, Tugger."

"I know, but still… if there were…"

"Well, he's certainly got enough energy," said Bombalurina.

Tugger looked down at the sleeping kitten in his arms and raised one eyebrow.

"Though apparently not at the moment," whispered Bombalurina with a smile.

"Well, all cats need a nice long nap now and then, right?" said Tugger with a smile to match his friend's, taking a step closer towards her.

"Ain't that the truth?" muttered Bombalurina. "I think I'll go take mine right now…"

"Do you want me to come tuck you in?" whispered Tugger into her ear.

"No, Tugger, I'm a big girl…"

Her sentence was interrupted by the touch of Maine coon's lips against hers. She was so shocked by this sudden display of emotions that she almost pushed him away, but then realized that she was actually enjoying it. When the tom finally pulled away, she was at a loss for words.

"Tugger… I…"

"Shhh," he said, putting one paw above her mouth to silence her. "Our little secret," he whispered, before walking out of the door with the sleeping kitten still in his arm.

"Our little secret," repeated Bombalurina to herself. The words sounded nice.

*~*

What happened back there, Tantomile? What was wrong with the tom?

He heard us talking, Coricopat.

How? And how did you know?

I knew because he was in my head, and not yours. I suddenly felt as if my thoughts were no longer my own. Then I realized it was him. I saw his thoughts. I had to shut him out, and quickly. I forced him outside of my mind. That was what gave him the sudden headache.

How was he in your mind in the first place?

I don't know. The only answer I can come up with was that he must have a bit of the Gift.

You mean, he is physic as well?

He is no where as near as powerful as a physic male should be at his age. I suppose he was a rare case, born to normal parents who had no idea of his ability. So he went on, living life as normal… but now, around two other physics, his abilities started to get out of hand.

You saw his thoughts?

Some.

I thought we agreed not to go searching through other's thoughts?

I could not control it. My mind was open to his, which could only mean that his mind was open to me. I tried not to look, but, oh, Cori! I saw the kitten.

The magician?

Yes, I saw him. He is here. And the one who is physic must be his father.

We must go talk to him, before it is too late. The stars have written a great fortune for that kitten. He will do much good. If we don't act soon, his magic will be lost.

His great fortune will happen with or without his magical powers, if it is written in the stars, my dear Coricopat.

Be that as it may, my Tantomile, a little magic can never hurt.

*~*

"You are the Rum Tum Tugger, are you not?" said a male voice behind Tugger. He closed his eyes for a moment. Not really wanting to talk to the two newcomers, but feeling he should make a good impression, he turned around.

"Yes, I am," he said the two cats.

"You are the father of a black and white kitten, are you not?" asked the female version of the voice.

"Quaxo?" asked Tugger.

The two looked at each other, then quickly back at him. "Yes, Quaxo," said Coricopat.

"You are his father, right?" asked Tantomile.

"No," said Tugger.

"Could you perhaps tell us who his father his?" asked Coricopat.

"I don't know who it is," responded Tugger.

"Could you perhaps point us in the direction of someone who does?" asked Tantomile politely.

"No, I can't…" said Tugger. "Listen, I kind of have to go…"

"Go where?" asked Coricopat.

Tugger wanted very much to say 'It's none of your business,' but instead decided on "To go get dinner."

"Where are you going afterwards?" asked Tantomile.

"Back to my box."

"Is Quaxo there?" she asked.

"Maybe."

"Could we come and meet him?" asked Coricopat.

"You don't even know if he's there or not!"

"Yes we do," said Tantomile.

"We'd very much like to meet him," said Coricopat.

"Why are you guys so obsessed with him anyway?" yelled the Rum Tum Tugger angrily. "Leave him alone! Leave me alone!"

Coricopat looked at Tantomile, or perhaps it was the other way around. Tugger wasn't paying too much attention; he had turned away and was walking angrily away from the two cats.

"Quaxo is a magical cat, Rum Tum Tugger," said Coricopat loudly. Tugger stopped, and slowly turned around.

"First of all," he began, "it's _the _Rum Tum Tugger, and second of all, there are no such things as magical cats."

"Oh really?" said Tantomile, walking slowly towards him. "Are you absolutely sure of that?"

"I'm positive. There's no such thing as magic," said Tugger decidedly.

Tantomile took a step back and raised her right paw. A moment later, the Rum Tum Tugger noticed her paw sort of sparkled, somehow – but he had no more time to think about Tantomile's sparkly paw because it suddenly produced a bolt of lightning. The lightning hit an old bicycle wheel and shattered into a million tiny little sparks – all of which disappeared a few moments later.

"Still have no belief in magic?" whispered Tantomile.

"You mean…" panted Tugger, "that my Quaxo… has the power… to do _that_?"

"That, and much more," said Coricopat.

"Just what I need," muttered Tugger sarcastically. "Of all the kittens in the world…"

*~*

"Hello?" shouted Tugger into the box.

"Tugger, are you back already?" called Jennyanydots. "I didn't expect you be that quick."

"No, Jenny, I got…distracted from dinner," said Tugger. "Where's Quaxo? He has some visitors."

"He's still sleeping," said Jenny. "Over on the mat."

Tugger walked towards the end of the box and picked up the black kitten. "Quax, Quaxo, wake up," he said into the kitten's ear.

"Mmmmm," said the young tom grumpily, putting his paws over his ears.

"Come on, Quaxo," sighed the Rum Tum Tugger. "You've got visitors."

"Vis-i-tors?"

"Yeah, visitors," whispered Tugger. "Come on."

The Rum Tum Tugger lifted the drowsy kitten off of the mat and set him in front of Coricopat and Tantomile. "There he is," said Tugger. "Do what you wish, but don't go putting silly ideas in his head about being able to blow up bicycle wheels."

"May I ask what's going on here?" asked Jennyanydots, sounding rather concerned.

"Why don't you step outside and explain it to her, _the _Rum Tum Tugger?" said Coricopat.

"We would appreciate some time alone with Quaxo," said Tantomile gently.

The tuxedo kitten cocked his head to side and stared up at Coricopat and Tantomile with a peaceful expression.

"I don't think I am going to be able to allow near strangers to be alone with my foster son," growled Tugger angrily.

"It's okay, Tugger," said Quaxo suddenly, his head still cocked to one side, still looking intently at the two newcomers. "They have pretty lights."

"What was that, Quax?" asked the Rum Tum Tugger, walking towards the kitten.

"I said they have pretty lights," said Quaxo, shifting his gaze to the Maine coon. "You have pretty lights, too, Tugger, but their lights are more prettier."

"What does he mean?" murmured Jennyanydots, walking towards the kitten too. 

"He's talking about our auras," said Coricopat. "He can sense them."

"Auras… sense... what?" asked Tugger, sounding confused. "What's an aura?"

"An invisible breath that radiates around every being," said Tantomile. "Each one is different… each aura is distinctive depending on the one to whom it belongs. He sees the goodness in our auras and knows we will not harm him…"

"And these auras… what do they look like?" asked Tugger anxiously.

"It depends on the one to whom the aura belongs," stated Coricopat.

"I mean, in general," said the Rum Tum Tugger.

"As Quaxo said, like some form of light… some are colored, others are not… it is hard to describe them, Tugger," said Tantomile. "You don't really _see _an aura, you kind of _feel _it… like in you," she said, suddenly rounding on Jennyanydots. "I can sense that your aura is one of kindness… always caring for someone else… looking out for others… always being reliable and dependable."

Jennyanydots blushed slightly.

"And Quaxo's aura is clearly one of a magical cat," said Coricopat.

"A **_what_**?!?" exclaimed Jennyanydots.

"Uh, Jenny, maybe it would be best if I took you outside and explained all of this," said the Rum Tum Tugger suddenly. "Don't you dare let it slip to him or to anyone else that he is magical," whispered Tugger to Coricopat and Tantomile. "I don't want anyone else to know, and I'm not sure I even want him to know… yet."

With that, he and Jennyanydots went outside to talk.

"Quaxo, why don't you tell us about yourself?" asked Tantomile gently, sinking down next to the kitten.

"Well…" began the kitten thoughtfully. "Um… Tugger found me in the woods… and when I'm old enough I'm gonna be a Jellicle cat!"

Coricopat and Tantomile waited for a moment or two for him to go on, but it was clear that that was all he had to say.

"How old are you, Quaxo?" asked Tantomile.

"Tugger's Daddy says that I'm two and half moths," said Quaxo.

"Er… you mean _months_?" said Coricopat.

"Yeah."

"Who were your parents?" asked Tantomile.

Quaxo shrugged. "Tugger says that he's the only parent I need."

"Quaxo, why don't you go back to sleep?" prompted Tantomile. "You look tired."

"Yeah, I guess I am a little tired…" said Quaxo. "But I'm more hungrier. Do you have any food?"

Tantomile laughed. Quaxo liked the sound of her laugh. It was a very nice sound, and it made him think of happy things like the stars and the sunshine.

"No, Quaxo, we don't have any food, but if you go to sleep now, I promise you'll have a nice meal ready to eat when you wake up."

"Oh, alright," muttered Quaxo, settling himself back down on the mat. A few seconds later, he was sound asleep.

"He's way too young," said Coricopat immediately. "I was expecting an older kitten, around six or eight months. But two and a half?"

"I know, he's way too young to learn about his powers now. It will completely overwhelm him," said Tantomile, standing up and beginning to pace around the box. 

"So we'll wait," said Coricopat. "We'll wait until he's old enough."

"By that time, it might be too late!" said Tantomile, wringing her paws. "Macavity is quickly gaining power… and the one who was meant to oppose him his only two and half months old!"

"Not to mention the fact that _the_ Rum Tum Tugger is going to oppose us every step of the way," muttered Coricopat. "He doesn't want Quaxo to be a magical cat, I can sense it… the question is… why?"

"It doesn't matter why," said Tantomile. "What matters is what we're going to do now."

"The only we can do – wait for the kitten to get older and stronger," said Coricopat. "If Quaxo really is meant to fight Macavity to the death, then it'll happen when he is ready." 

"But who knows how much suffering we'll have to endure by that time…" mused Tantomile. To anyone else, her statement would have made little or no sense, but Coricopat, her soulmate, only had to look into her eyes, and he understood every word.

*~*

"So Coricopat and Tantomile say Quaxo is a magical cat," said Jennyanydots. "And you believe them? Hasn't anyone ever told you there's no such thing as magical cats?"

"Yes, I've been told a hundred thousand times, but yet I have to believe them," said the Rum Tum Tugger. "First of all, because Tantomile showed me her magic. She is a magical cat, and Coricopat, too."

"And second of all…?" prompted Jennyanydots.

"Because… well… there's something inside of me that says to listen to them, and I have to listen to that voice, Jenny. I just have to." The Rum Tum Tugger sighed. "Do you believe me, Jenny? Or do you think I've gone mad?"  


Jennyanydots placed a comforting hand on the Maine coon's shoulder. "You were already mad, child, and of course I believe you. You don't lie, Tugger, you just… exaggerate the truth a little."

"Well, this time I'm not exaggerating," said the Rum Tum Tugger. He paused for a second, and then continued. "Jenny, if I tell you something, will you swear to the Everlasting Cat that you will not tell a soul?"

"Of course. I swear," said Jennyanydots.

"Alright." The Rum Tum Tugger took a deep breath. "The secret is… that… I can see auras too… just like Quaxo… I've always been able to. When I told my father when I was just a kit, he told me to keep it quiet and never bring it up, to anyone, again…"

Jennyanydots was silent.

"I don't want Quaxo to be a magical cat," said the Rum Tum Tugger decidedly, "and whatever Coricopat and Tantomile say isn't going to change my mind."

*~*  


Author's Notes: Weeee! That was actually really fun to write. Anyway, I'd like to make a little request of you, the reader… if you have the time, would you please read & review my story 'To the Moonlight'? That one is my baby, and I would be eternally grateful.

--jemi gr 14-july-2003


End file.
